Valeria Boltneva is owner of the project “Tasty in Estonia” (Instagram: @TastyInEesti). She prefers to call herself not a critic, but rather a guest of venues. Her blog has honest reviews and native photos of food and interior.
Valeria has been working in horeca for 9 years and understands the restaurant business well from both sides, visitors’ and hosts’. She started as a waiter and knows how to work with people. For the last 2.5 years she’s been actively exploring both luxury-class restaurants and small cafes aimed at coffee and croissants.
In Estonia, I visited about 200 places, and about 500 in total around the world. We have been to many places, both in neighboring countries and in distant ones – Singapore, Bangkok, Germany, Spain. I notice how the client is treated here and there, I try local cuisine. It’s amazing when you eat pasta in Estonia knowing what it is like in Italy.
Everything about restaurants in our country is great. Every second venue will surprise you with the presentation and interior. Of course, my every review and advice is a subjective opinion. There are people who are into dry chicken and those who order raw steak. Everyone has their own tastes, but there are basic things that every restaurant should have: smiles on personnel’s faces, punctual order time, clean premises.
As a restaurant expert, I have no purpose to offend or praise the restaurant, I want to be helpful so that people visit the restaurant after my review and they enjoy it.
There are pretty many of inconvenient places, I will mention just a few.
Moon. Russian cuisine with curious serving.
Moon
Kaks kokka. Being translated as “two chefs” , this place is worth a visit for its desserts.Come and see them with your own eyes, and of course, take a bite.
Kaks kokka
Parrot MiniBar. This restaurant serves tiny dishes and suggests using tweezers instead of conventional knives and forks. Last time we enjoyed a spectacular oyster-shaped dessert: a shell with sweet liquid and an edible pearl inside.
Peatus. Original interior and simple foods are the staples of this venue constructed from carriages. One of the trains used to follow the Moscow-Tallinn route and now it hosts a restaurant; another one was used within the borders of capital and now is a disco place. Peatus belongs to two well-known Estonian DJs who focused on simple street food: burger, fries, soups, breakfasts. This place is an absolute hit among hipsters and those into 70-80s.
Legends Classic Diner. This American-style restaurant is located just 10 min away from Tallinn. Its interior is that of a typical diner: red sofas, posters with cola and ice-cream, and a Jukebox music vending machine.
Legends Classic Diner
Fotografiska Tallinn. One of the most recently opened and photogenic venues, very popular among the locals, this place is a unity of a restaurant and museum, whose expositions change every couple of months.
Art Priori. This venue with amazing cuisine is rather high-budget but I may advise it not because of the food itself, but primarily because of the gallery and the concept. The owner of the restaurant has a collection of rare antiques: crossbows, paintings, etc. Between the floors there is a remarkable staircase made of a single piece of marble.
There are plenty of great public places around to have a decent morning meal, and it’s a popular concept among the locals. These are worth a mention:
Grenka. I love this place a lot. A hearty delicious breakfast for two will cost you only €12-13 here.
Nop. This restaurant is located in Kadriorg Park, so you can take a walk, and then turn your steps there. It’s an authentic, purely Estonian vegan & eco place. You can expect the bill to catch up €15-20 for two. By the restaurant there is also a shop with local eco products.
Thamm. A very quiet place with a minimalistic interior for comfy meetings or even indulging yourself alone with a cup of coffee. White walls, emerald green chairs, it’s really nice there. Located by Kadriorg Park, the building itself was designed by Russian-Estonian architect Nikolai Tamm.
Thamm
Chapters. This is a peaceful cafe to work or meet a friend in the city center, with a good interior and large bright windows. There is a large library you can take a book from, if you leave yours.
Ragu. A cozy place with a good selection of breakfasts. Suitable for family morning meals, on weekends animators take care of children.
Ragu
A have a whole list dedicated to such family-friendly places.
I usually review middle-class and high-grade venues, but may also suggest some recommendations for cafes and restaurants with a good price-quality ratio.
Ulvi’s brake. If you are a shawarma lover, you’re gonna love this place. They have several spots around the city, the best one in my opinion is located by Coca-Cola Plaza. The portions are giant, and the price is very reasonable, about €4.50. When I grab it on the way, I can barely finish it, to be honest, but it’s finger-licking good.
Meie Gruusia. A network of Georgian cafes with delicious khachapuri for every taste with prices up to €3.
Grande pizza. This pizzeria in the city center is known for its huge pizzas. Take one big for two at the price of €11 and get stuffed.
Old boy mary jane. In this tiny restaurant by Kadriorg Park, you can easily load up for the whole day for €20 per couple.
Kompressor.At first this may seem that this pancake place is expensive: one pancake costs €4.50 – 5.50. But they are really huge, one is enough to feel full.
Kolmas Draakon. This is a restaurant with an unusual authentic interior and service in the very center of the Old Town. It’s hard to beat in terms of price and taste: get a soup for €3.50, try pies with elk or deer, use a harpoon to catch pickles from the barrel and have a chat with friendly staff dressed as in the Middle Ages.
Amps. A network of cafes with business lunches and cheap breakfasts. For example, you can grab a portion of oatmeal there for €2.
Among others, I can also mention Grenka and Diner.
Grenka
Gelato ladies. This ice-cream cafe is among the TOP 50 gelaterias in Europe. I brought friends from other cities and countries there, and most of them claim that this is the best ice-cream they’ve ever eaten.
Gelato ladies
Bar-buffeé Nikolay. This is a divine place with the best pies in Tallinn. It’s rather expensive, about €4 for a serving, but the pies are undoubtedly worth it.
Bar-buffeé Nikolay
Muah kohvik. A paradise for cupcake lovers, you will surely pick some to your taste from a huge assortment.
Steffani pizzarestoran. It is actually located not in Tallinn, but in Pärnu, but their pizza is the best ever. We sometimes take a 3-hour ride by car for its sake.The restaurant is hosted in a large building with many seats and tables, but it’s always busy. Often, even a queue forms to get inside.
Mon Repos. Great service, impeccable menu, nice atmosphere. The restaurant is based right in Kadriorg and also has its own garden which blooms lovely in spring and summer. The average bill is €50–70 euros for two.
Finlandia Caviar. A heavenly venue for those who are fond of seafood, oysters and black caviar. Not everyone will appreciate it, but it’s truly top-notch and one of a kind.
Finlandia Caviar
Kaja Pizza. This authentic little place, popular among both locals and tourists, features one long table for all visitors, an open kitchen, and is always full.
I talk about other curious places in my blog on Facebook and Instagram.
